The inventions disclosed herein relate generally to form structures used for manufacturing concrete products. More specifically the invention relates to composite forms and the method of manufacturing the composite forms, which are used for forming the end of a concrete product and supporting and transporting the concrete products, such as culverts, pipes, and the like during the manufacture and curing processes.
Concrete pipes are manufactured by casting a concrete mixture or slurry in a mold. The mold is mounted coaxially on a pallet/mold or base for curing. Traditionally, these pallets for concrete pipes are made from cast iron, cast steel, fabricated steel, or pressed steel. A steel base, however, is expensive because of the high cost of steel and the high cost of working it. In relatively large plants for making concrete pipe, the steel bases alone require a substantial capital investment.